Orphan Espresso Lido OG Hand Grinder

I bought it specifically for espresso. It is solidly built, alignment is great to a good level of precision and there's no wobbling of the central burr. Unfortunately, it doesn't stand to its promise of precision and repeatability. First major issue is lack of consistency. I can get widely varying extraction times without changing the grind setting at all. Next, it seems the burr still shifts gradually by time even if the locking screw remains fully tightened. As the central burr turns, there still seems to be a transition in the grind setting. Albeit slight, this transition can have a dramatic effect in the range of fine settings such as espresso. Also switching between different settings such as doing a fine grind for espresso then using the clicking knob (without unscrewing the locking screw) to move to the coarse setting for a pour over, if one then returns to the original fine setting for espresso, one may not actually be where one was before hence repeatability is under question. Another problem is after a number of times changing the grind setting (using the clicked knob) or if one turns the central burr (without unscrewing the locking screw), two metal parts inside the grinder start rubbing against each other with high friction. I am not sure what they are: they can be the central burr against the side burr or the mechanism inside the clicking knob? When this happens, I open the grinder, remove the central burr and put it back (according to the instructional video) which solves the problem until the next time it happens again.

I have also learned that arriving at the same grind setting but through different routes does not get me to the same place. If I set the click knob to 300 and then make it finer for 50microns by releasing the locking screw, or if I set the click knob to 200microns and then release the locking screw and make it 150microns coarser, theoretically, I must end up the same place in terms of grind finesse and extraction time (let's call it 250microns). Unfortunately, this seems far from truth. If I set it to 300 and gradually make it finer in 3-4 steps of 10-20microns change each time, I can get a totally different result too. So far, my theory to explain all this is that the mechanism inside the grinder is just not accurate enough for fine adjustments needed for espresso.

This is one of the most expensive hand grinders in the market and I had high hopes of it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be what it was promised to be. I don't have extensive experience with coffee grinders so I can't really evaluate where it stands relative to other grinders. My grinder before this was a Eureka Facile which has its own problems however, an electric grinder for nearly the same price as this hand grinder, it now seems like the better deal. When I bought this I debated between Lido OG, Flair Royal and Niche Zero grinders. However, I liked the idea of a hand grinder and Niche zero was twice more expensive. I thought if this could deliver the same level of precised performance as the highly regarded electric grinder (Niche), I would be content. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be the case. There might be ways around the shortcomings of the Lido OG but it certainly requires a long period of try and error to overcome the flawed design which I was not expecting when I bought this.

Finally, though this one is not an essential flaw: the cap covering the coffee bean chamber keeps falling. It became loose shortly after I started using the grinder

The grinder creates consistent grind sizes and the marked adjustments make it easy to switch between espresso and pour over coffee. Build quality is fantastic with a nice heavy premium feel in hand. Also love the amount of detailed videos available regarding adjustment, disassembly, and general use. Really happy with my purchase.